Glass-polishing machine.



C. F. LINDEBURG.

GLASS POLISHING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.12,1916.

Patented Dec. 25,1917.

54 2 WITNESS ATTORNEY.

CHARLES E. LINDEBURG, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

GLASS-POLISHING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 25, 1917.

Application filed August 12, 1916. Serial No. 114,495.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES F. LINDE- BURG, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Glass- Polishing Machines, of which the following is a specificaton.

This invention relates to that class of glass polishing machines for use in polishing pieces of glass for clock fronts, mirrors, and so forth the surface of which it is desired to polish. The invention is, however, not to be understood as restricted to small pieces of glass, as it is applicable to both large and small, and further is applicable to plane, concave or convex, and other shaped pieces ofglass.

The objects of the invention are to provide a glass polishing machine which will obtain the desired results in minimum time; to polish the glass on bothsides at the same time; to avoid holding the glass by a clamp while polishing it; to move the buffers to- Ward the glass from opposite sides; to stop rotation of the buffers when they are withdrawn from the glass; to obtain a pressure upon the buffers with least amount of friction on the spindles; to hold the buffers positively pressed toward each other or positively drawn apart; to protect the operator from glass coming out; to secure simplicity of construction and operation and to obtain other advantages and results as may be brought out in the following description.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, in which like numerals of reference indicate the same parts throughout the several views,

Figure 1 is an elevation of a glass polishing machine embodying my invention, looking at the same from the front or side at which the operator stands;

Fig.2 is a transverse section on line 22 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of a certain cradle, and

Fig. 4: is a perspective view of a shield.

In the specific embodiment of the invention, reference numeral 1 indicates a base or body portion having feet 2, 2 at its bot-- tom for support and providing a web portion from the upper edge of which arms 3, 3 and 4, 4 project in substantially the same plane. These arms are spaced apart along the top of said web, one pair 3, 3 being at opposite ends of the web, and the other pair 4, 4 being included between the outer pair. Bearings 5, 5 and 6, 6 are provided at the tops of each of these arms in substantial alinement and carried in thebea'rings are spindles 7, 8, one spindle being carried by the two bearings 5, 6 at one end of the base, and the other spindle being carried by the two bearings at the other end of the base.

Mounted at the inner or adjacent ends of the spindles are buffers 9, 10 between which the glass is inserted for polishing. In the present illustration, the buffers are shown as similar, with plane facing surfaces, and it may be noted that these buffers are to be used for flat pieces of glass, but where it is desired to polish curved glass such as used for watch crystals, and so forth, one of the buffers is made concave and the other convex, similarly for glass of other shapes, the buffers are made to correspond to the shape of the glass. The spindles are not only rotatably mounted in the bearings 5, 6, but are slidable therein, so that the buffers may be pressed together or drawn apart. The outer ends of the spindles or ends away from the buffers, project beyond the outer bearings 5, 5 and means are provided thereat for sliding the spindles whichever way it is desired.

' In carrying out this feature of my invention, collars 11, 11 are secured in any suitable manner adjacent the outer ends of the spindles, and the ends of the spindles are recessed or provided with sockets at their centers. Slidably mounted on the base and movable parallel to the spindles are shift bars 12, 12 turning upward at their outer ends as at 13, 13 and each provided with a lug 14, 14 standing upward opposite the end of the spindle. A screw 15 is threaded through each of the said lugs longitudinally of the spindle, and substantially in axial alinement therewith, the inner end of said screw being recessed and adapted to engage a ball 16 seated in the recess or socket of the end of the spindle. A stop or pin 17 projects upwardly from the shift bar 12 upon the opposite side of the collar 11 from the end of the spindle, and the screw 15 operates through'the ball 16 to' hold the collar in engagement with the said stop so that moving the shift bar in one direction or the other will slide the spindle in a corresponding direction. The ball 16'affords a connection between the shift bar and spindle whereby the spindle may be rotated without undue frictional resistance by pressure of the shift bar, it being understood that pressure on the glass while the same is being polished is obtained by drawing upon the shift bar. ?referably the shift bars are mounted by means of bolts 18, 18 screwed into the base and passing through slots l9, 19 in the shift bar.

Furthermore, it is preferable to operate .both shift bars together and from one source, and to this end a lever 20 is pivoted to the base intermediate of its ends between the facing ends of the shift bars, and links 21, 22 connect the shift bars with said lever. As shown, one link 21 connects with the bottom of the lever below its fulcrum 23 and theother link 22 connects with the lever above its fulcrum andboth of the links are connected to their respective shift bars between the bolts 18, 18 which hold said shift bars slidably on the base.

A weight 24-. adjustably mounted on the lever 20 holds the same by gravity swung as far as it will go whichever side of dead center it is placed, and it is to be understood that the parts are so arranged and adjusted that when a piece of glass is being polished the lever is swung past dead center in one direction, and when the spindles are slid to move the buffers away from each other the lever is swung past dead center in the opposite direction. In this manner, the buffers are held positively pressed toward each other or positively drawn apart, and by adjusting the weight longitudinally of the lever, any desired pressure may be obtained upon the bufl'ersfor polishing the glass.

In order to rotate the spindles, driving pulleys 25, 25 are mounted on the spindles 7, 8 respectively, each between the bearings 5, 6. Preferably, these driving pulleys are rotatably mounted upon the spindles and are provided with clutch members 26, 26 adapted to cooperate with clutch members 27, 28 fast upon the spindles. In the arrangement shown, the clutch members fast upon the spindles are adjacent the outer bearings and the clutch member 26, on the pulleys are on the outer sides of the pulley toward the outer bearings. Springs 28, 28 are positioned upon the spindles between the inner bearings and the driving pulleys, tending to normally slide the drivlng pulleys outwardly and engage the clutch members. Such movement of the driving pulleys is limited by means of stops 29, 29 on the base which project upwardly beneath the spindles, and these stops are so arranged and adapted that the driving pulleys are prevented from moving farther before the spindles have been slid as far as they will go, as a result of which the clutch members may be thrown out by continued sliding of the spindles after the pulleys, engage the stops. It is to be observed, that the clutch members disen gage each other as the spindles are slid to open the bufiers apart, so that the bufiers are automatically stopped as they are spread apart for inserting or removin glass, but when a piece of glass is inserted between the bufiers and they are slid toward each other the clutch members slide into engagement with each other and the buffers are rotated as they are pressed together. Qbviously the driving pulleys disengage the stops as the spindles are slid toward each other after the clutch members have come into engagement so there is no friction between the driving pulleys and the stops while the glass is being polished. 7

Around a portion of the peripheries of the bufiers, preferably beneath and at the front and back of the same, is arranged a cradle 30 adapted to support the glass when it is inserted between the bufiers. This cradle I have shown as providing a cross-piece 31 transverse to which. at its ends are arcuate side frames 32, 32 supporting between themselves a pluralty of rollers 33, at sufficiently close intervals to support the piece of glass which is to be polished between the bufiiers. The cradle is supported by means of a stud or post 3% which screws upwardly into the said cross-piece and is inserted in a suitable socketin the web of the base 1. This stud or post 34 is adjustable in height, that is, may be raised Or lowered within the base, and is held in such adjusted position by means of a transverse set screw 35 entering through the back of the base.

Where desired, a shield 36 may be provided to surround the portion of the buffers between the ends of the cradle, and this shield I have shown as an arcuate metal band provided with ears 3?, 37 at one end taking around the pivot pin of the upper roller at the back of the cradle, said roller being made short enoughto afford room for the said ears on the pivot pin therewith. At the front of the shield, the same is provided with hooks 38 which may be snapped behind the pivot pin for the front roller, said roller likewise being made short enough to afford room so this may be done. The inner side of the shield is preferably lined as at 39 with some soft material such as cork so that if the glass is thrown against the shield the glass will not become shattered and injure anybody in the vicinity.

In the operation of my improved polishmg machine, the lever 20 is swung to slide the buffers 9, 1.0 a art, and a iece of glass to be polished is t en dropped between the buffers and rests upon the rollers 33. Then for greater caution the shield 36 is closed over the top of the cradle 30, and the lever 20 is then swung to press the buffers toward each other and against the glass.

' the shield over the tops of the buflers at a 25, these buffers are preferably rotated in opposite directions which accordingly gives the glass a tendency on one side to turn in one direction and a tendency on the other side to turn in the opposite direction. In practice, it is found that the glass will turn first in one direction and then in the other and so on, which accordingly polishes the glass first on one side and then on the other side. Gravity tends to normally cause the glass to drop down and engage the bottom rollers 33, but the rotation of the glass immediately draws it up between the bufi'ers again and thus the glass oscillates somewhat between the bufiers and is polished all over. There is very little tendency for the glass to come out above the cradle, and a great many workmen use the machine without placin 7 and obviously, the shield may be omitted entirely if so desired. When the glass is polished sufiiciently the lever 20 is swung in the opposite direction which slides the bulfers apart and stops their rotation. The operator can then readily and without danger put his fingers between the buffers and 7 remove the glass, at which time another piece of glass may be inserted, and so on.

Preferably the rollers 33 which support the piece of glass are of suitable material at their surfaces to engage the edge of the glass without injurin the same such'as rubber or the like, but I 0 not wish to be understood as relstricting myself to any particular materia Obviously other detail modifications and changes may be made in manufacturing my improved glass polishing machine without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, and I do not wish to be understood as restricting myself except as required by the following claims when con-- strued in the light of the prior art.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim is:

1. In a lass polishing machine, oppositely rotat ng buffers adapted to engage upon opposite sides of a piece of glass to be,

polished, and means for permitting the glass to move around freely between the buffers but preventing it from coming out from between the bufiers.

2. In a. glass polishing machine, oppositely rotating buffers adapted to engage upon opposite sides of a plece of glass to be polished, means for permittingthe glass to move around freely between the buffers but preventing it from coming out from between the buifers, and means for moving the buffers apart for inserting or removing the glass.

3. In a glass polishin machine, oppositely rotatlng buffers a apted to engage upon opposite sides of a piece of glass to be polished, means for permitting the glass to move around between the buffers but preventing it from coming out from between the buffers, and means for both stopping rotation of the buffers and moving said buffers apart while being stopped for inserting or removing the glass.

4. In a glass polishing machine, buffers arranged to rotate in vertical and parallel planes, driving means for rotating said buffers in opposite directions, clutch means for connecting said buffers and driving means, and means for moving said buflers toward and awayfrom each other as said clutch means are thrown in and out whereby the buffers may be moved apart and stopped for removing a piece of glass from between them.

5. In a glass polishing machine, buffers arranged to rotate in vertical and parallel planes, driving means for rotating said buflers in opposite directions, clutch means for connecting said buffers and driving means, -means for moving said buffers toagalnst gravity whereby rotation of the.

buffers will polish the glass.

7. In a. glass polishing machine, buffers arranged to rotate in vertical and parallel lanes means for rotatin said bufl'ers in a opposite directions, and a cradle having a plurality of rollers for engagement with the edge of a piece of glass between said hufi'ers whereby the glass 1s prevented from coming out from between the buffers as the buffers rotate and polish the glass.

8. In a glass polishing machine, b'ulfers arranged to rotate in vertical and parallel planes, means for rotating said buffers in opposite directions, a cradle passing beneath the buffers for piece of glass therebetween, and a shield adapted to pass over the buffers and connect with the ends of the cradle whereby the glass cannot be thrown out from between the buflers in any direction as the bulfers rotate.

9. The combination with a bed or base, a pairof rotatable spindles, shift bars slidable on sald base and having portions opposite the ends of the spindles, balls between the ends of the spindles and said portions,

whereby sliding said shift bars in one direction will obtain a pressure on the ends of supporting and holding a 10. The combination with a bed or base, a pair of rotatable spindles, shift bars slidable on said base and having portions opposite the ends of the spindles, balls between the ends of the spindles and said portions, whereby sliding said shift bars in one direction will obtain a pressure onthe ends of said spindles with minimum friction to slide the spindles, means for sliding the spindles in the other direction, and means for sliding said shift bars at the same time.

- 11. The combination with a bed or base,

a pair of rotatable spindles, shift bars slidable on said base and having means for sliding the spindles at the same time and in the direction of sliding of the slide bars, a lever pivoted to swing across dead center whereby it will rest in whichever end of its swing to which it is swung and means connecting said shift bars and lever whereby the spindles are shifted at the same time and held by the lever.

CHARLES F. LINDEBURG. 

